4 ways to be an inclusive teacher!

How would you like to learn today? Begin your class with this question and let your students lead the day’s learning session. Take a student-centric approach and encourage participatory learning that will refresh both teaching and learning. When every learner is different, teaching with the one-size-fits-all strategy will not be effective.

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act recommends paying attention to specific learning needs as the primary responsibility of teachers. It is not an additional task you could take up occasionally. You have to make it part of your classroom routine easily. Just apply the below strategies.

Know students better with an IEP

Wondering what an IEP is? It stands for an individualized education plan that keeps track of your students learning journey, the progress and the obstacles in this journey. IEP has been employed in classrooms since 1975 with an aim to provide equal learning opportunities to a variety of learners. This will make it easier for you to pay attention to every learner’s academics. The IEP is an effective tool that helps organise your tasks and leave you with the right approach for every learner. Tools like the Next Learning Platform are very effective in helping you automate such classroom activities.

Engage students effectively

Speaking of student-engagement tasks, they must be meaningful to the kids. If a student doesn’t see value in a learning activity, he/she may not engage to the full potential. To ensure this, connect activities to students’ experiences. Michigan State University’s Office of Medical Education Research and Development recommends group learning, case-based learning, one-minute papers and demonstrations for impactful learning. You could also get students to write about the concepts they find most confusing, then provide them with a clarification.

Promote autonomy and competence 

Research shows that being able to perform a task effectively leads to greater engagement. Sense a student’s abilities and pick tasks that will bring them out in the best way. Combine aspects of group learning and autonomy for great results. Provide opportunities for collaborative learning to flourish using 21st-century skills, give students an opportunity to reflect on their work before you provide your feedback. This will show them their strengths and weaknesses and maybe work on them independently.

Increase “Wait Time” in the classroom

The amount of time spent waiting for a student to respond to a lesson taught is called ‘Wait Time.’ This is crucial when you are trying to incorporate inclusive teaching in class. Giving this time could help you understand a student’s learning progress instantly. Instant feedback helps you modify your teaching. The method of interactive teaching is especially effective when teaching students with sensory impairments, cognitive challenges and linguistic diversities. Increase your wait time to be more inclusive.

Become an inclusive educator with these unique strategies for diverse learners. We, at Next Education, are here to assist you with that. We offer our support to teachers in enhancing classroom experience with TeachNext and a range of other products and services that will transform your education experience. To know more, visit our website https://www.nexteducation.in/ call us on 1800-200-5566 or write to info@nexteducation.in.